History

In 2022 we will be celebrating 710 Years of the Ditchling Fair!

It was in 1312 that King Edward II granted John de Warenne, Lord of the Manor, the right to run a Fair in Ditchling 'in the eve and in the day and in the morrow of St Margaret the Virgin' and thus was to be celebrated on July 20th.

In Medieval Ditchling this would would have been an occasion for the trade of exotic goods such as colourful dyes and foods like oranges, pomegranates, lemons, figs and dates. However, and perhaps more excitingly for the villagers, there were entertainments too - wrestling competitions, bear baiting and cock fighting - distasteful to us but all considered part of the fun.

Over the years the fair has been interrupted by any number of national and world events, not least the recent Covid pandemic with our 2020 fair understandably being cancelled. However with 700+ years of heritage behind us, nothing stops Ditchling villagers for long and we are delighted to be planning the biggest and best fair for 2022; and everyone is welcome.

Ditchling History Project researches all aspects of the parish’s history from local families, buildings and industries to arts and crafts, churches and chapels, clubs and societies.

We are ‘project’ based because we never cease investigating the history of this amazing parish. All our research is recorded on a database and we share much of what we learn through our extensive range of publications and occasional papers.

Historical records, tithe maps, census returns, trade directories, house deeds and word of mouth are some of the many sources of information we work from. We are also ready to learn from those who know something of Ditchling’s history, both past and recent, so please contact us if you have a story to tell.

We are always open to new members. Please visit our website on Facebook.